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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. last — to go on
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. spring — of water
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. craft — boats
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. last — finally
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. last — final
  13. fall — to drop
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. spring — the season
  16. stock — goods
  17. fall — the season
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stock — shares
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. fall — to drop
  24. craft — a skill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com